CV and Covering Letter
Your CV is the first impression an employer has of you. It's important to ensure you restrict the details contained in your cv to the salient points.
- Bullet points tend to help focus the readers eye and help you create constructive, clear and relevant structure.
- Be factual and precise when describing your skills, experience and education and be objective when describing yourself.
- Think about your skills and the areas in which you genuinely excel.
- Don't be afraid to suggest you are good at something.
CV Structure
- Ideally, your CV should be one to two pages in length, though this can depend on your age and seniority.
- Include all contact details at the top of the CV.
- Write a profile on yourself containing an honest overview of recent experience, ambitions, and a realistic and honest assessment of your key attributes. This should cover 5 to 8 bullet points.
- Current job - explain your current role and responsibilities, providing a reason for wanting to move on. Use bullet points and be detailed.
- Past experience - detail your past work experience. Use bullet points for each role. Explain any gaps that appear in your work history as employers ask about gaps.
- Education - detail your most recent and significant qualifications first.
- Skills - detail all skills and courses taken, starting with the most recent and most relevant.
- Hobbies - be succinct. Tend to avoid 'socialising' or generalised terms that are less likely to be considered 'hobbies'
Proof Reading
- Spell check your CV
- Have someone else check it for content and grammar.
- Ensure there are no gaps in your work experience, or explain any gaps as appropriate.
- Ensure the font type and size is conventional. Do not use decorative fonts or colours. Black font in Times New Roman or Arial creates the most professional appearance.
The Covering Letter
A covering letter explains who you are, determines whether you are applying generally for career opportunities or to a specific job advert, and is considered to be a useful means of generating interest in your CV. It provides a snapshot of your ability to explain yourself and sell your skills and experience. At Hayden Marsh, a good covering letter helps convince us that you are well suited to a given role or industry sector, which in turn helps us sell you to our clients.
Writing a Covering Letter
Introduction
Address it to a specific Hayden Marsh consultant so we can begin to develop a working relationship. Explain who you are and why you are writing to us, and be specific about particular adverts by quoting the reference numbers in all correspondence.
Current experience
Explain your current role, why you are thinking of moving on, and what you are looking for generally.
A particular advert
Relate your skills and experience to a particular advert. Explain why you would suit the role.
Contact
Explain when you are available for an initial telephone conversation, and when you can be available to meet with your HM consultant in person.
Emailing
Email your covering letter, together with your attached CV, to your Hayden Marsh consultant and we can begin the consultation process.
